The UAE's two biggest cities are now linked by passenger rail. Etihad Rail started running trains between Abu Dhabi and Dubai on 30 September, cutting the journey between the capital and the tourist hotspot to just over an hour — a trip that previously meant a car ride up the E11.

The fares are refreshingly cheap. Comfort class costs AED39, which works out at roughly €9.35, while a premium seat is AED109 (about €26). For comparison, that's cheaper than most airport taxi fares in Europe.

There's a catch worth knowing: the stations sit outside the city centres. In Dubai, the platform is at Jumeirah Golf Estates, which conveniently connects to the metro — so far the only metro system in the country. In Abu Dhabi, Etihad Rail runs shuttle buses into downtown for AED10 (€2.40), stopping at spots travellers actually want: the Corniche, Reem Mall and the ADNEC Centre, all linking to the Mohamed Bin Zayed City Station.

The network is growing fast. Trains have been running since late June from Abu Dhabi to Fujairah on the east coast. On 30 December, Al Dhafra joins the map, and Sharjah station opens to passengers on 30 March next year. Further out, stops are planned at Al Mirfa, near the mangrove-fringed Al Mugheirah Bay, Liwa, whose giant dunes host a winter motorsports festival, and Al Sila, right on the Saudi border.

The bigger picture is regional. Gulf governments have floated plans to connect the UAE with Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait, though no dates have been set. Saudi Arabia is currently the only other Gulf state running passenger trains, with routes including Riyadh to Dammam, Riyadh to Quruyyat near the Jordanian border, and a line between Medina and Mecca. Qatar and Saudi Arabia have also agreed to build a high-speed rail link between Riyadh and Doha, pencilled in for around 2031 — a two-hour journey between two capital cities.

Why does this matter for visitors? Until now, hopping between Dubai and Abu Dhabi meant hiring a car, taking an intercity bus or paying for a taxi. A one-hour train ride at €9 makes it far easier to base yourself in Dubai and day-trip to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the Louvre Abu Dhabi or the Corniche — or the reverse, using quieter Abu Dhabi as a base with a cheap rail link to Dubai's attractions. Just budget extra time for the shuttle or metro leg at either end, since the stations aren't downtown.